And so it ends, Winter holiday that is. Yes, my sweetheart is returning to his classes and I am left home alone all day. This of course means I can go back to listening to (at times really bad) loud music without my taste disrupting other people. I decided that today was 90s Grunge and 80s New Wave day in contrast to yesterday’s 60s-70s Classic Rock. I wonder what tomorrow’s music will be?

Today’s tea, Caramel Apple Oolong by 52Teas represents a staple of Autumnal festivals. Oddly I am not a huge fan of caramel apples, I had an accident involving an apple and a tub of caramel which ended with me having a strong dislike of caramel. I have since gotten over my aversion to most caramels, though I still cannot stomach the caramel dip for fruits. This tea is a blend of Fujian Oolong and Fuji Apples, which is a great combination of ingredients, especially in the naming department. The aroma of this tea, oddly, is nothing like caramel or apples, the aroma is strongly of melons. I hate melons, there are few foods that illicit a grimace from me like melons. It is sweet, cloyingly so. The aroma of the tea is pretty off-putting, but I am willing to try it out…sometimes aromas can be surprising.

The brewed leaves still have a bit of melon, but I am also noticing the sweet yet tart aroma of apples and the burnt sugar aroma of caramel. The liquid is rich and sweet with notes of apple and melons. Why are there melons?

I am going to start this by saying I like the Oolong base, it is rich and sweet with caramel notes (ok that actually could be from the caramel) and a bit of of a woodsy flair. However the flavorings added to the oolong fall flat for me. I think the apple flavor is sour and artificial (apple is one of those flavors I tend to be really hard on though, so it could be me just being picky) and there is that taste of melon that snuck in from somewhere. The finish is sweet and caramel-like, which is good, I am glad the aftertaste is not melon or sour apple. This is definitely one of those teas that I can tell is a good tea that I just didn’t like, so I will recommend it to people who like sour apples and inexplicable melons.

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My Rating Guide, This is a personal rating and not necessarily a reflection of the tea’s quality
100-Must have on hand, it is one of my favorite teas
85-99-Really good teas, like exquisitely good
65-84-Not bad, they can be good but generic, or just teas that I found enjoyably ok.
40-64-Not a favorite, but not terrible. I would drink it if it was in front of me but I doubt I would seek it out on my own.
20-40-Not the best tea ever, either it was not to my liking or it was really bland. Chances are I would turn this one down unless I was really thirsty.
0-19-No, just no. Either there was something wrong with this tea or it was utterly undrinkable by me.

I am a Geek, hardcore fan-girl Geek. It shapes my life. I spend a large chunk of my life painting miniatures and contemplating my various army layouts. I hoard dice, get obsessed with games, and will talk about whatever fandom, game, etc that I am obsessed over until I am blue in the face. I am not just a gamer girl type Geek, I also fit in the collecting knowledge and spending way too much time reading and researching category of Geek.

But there is more to me than just being a giant nerd. I love tea, always have and have just gotten more and more obsessed as I get older. I love trying new teas and then writing lengthy descriptions about them on my blog, I love reading and researching the history and culture of tea, I love collecting tea pots and fancy tea tools.

When the weather allows it, I love to go mushroom hunting. I don’t eat them, instead I use them for photography and spore prints. I love nature and worked as a Naturalist in the Northwoods one summer, it might have been the best job ever.

I have Fibromyalgia, it sucks, but I feel people who are going to interact with me should know since I tend to vanish because of it so fair warning! I do tend to not vanish very long though. Also I have some ‘social disorders’ which basically translates to I am really awkward and bad at socializing, so forgive any lack of social graces.

I also have cats, love the ocean and all aquatic life, love cheese, and collect hats.

My favorite tea is definitely Oolong, but I also love Japanese greens and…ok I just love tea actually :P I am not a huge fan of lemony black teas or tart fruit teas. I also loathe hibiscus (usually)